The musical Dear Evan Hansen, which will have its Finnish premiere, is full of hope
The internationally popular musical Dear Evan Hansen (2015) will premiere on the big stage on 28 September. The musical touchingly depicts the lives of young people, every young person’s need to be seen, and how important it is that no one is left alone. The main role is played by Evan’s alternating young musical talents Petja Pulkkinen and Julius Suominen, and Evan’s mother is played by Nina Tapio. The musical is directed by theatre director Kari Arffman.
Connor Murphy’s parents find a letter in their dead son’s pocket. It is a letter of encouragement written by a high school boy, Evan Hansen, to himself. It is a letter that was not meant to be seen by anyone else and leads to a lie that should never have been told. This is the beginning of a whirlwind of events, in the middle of which is Evan Hansen, a lonely and socially awkward young person who wants to find herself and be seen. Beloved Evan Hansen is a deeply personal and contemporary story about a boy who wants nothing more than to belong.
“It is an honour that we at the Helsinki City Theatre are among the first in the world to create our very own version of this popular musical. Beloved Evan Hansen is a great musical because it combines brilliant music with an exceptionally good story. In addition to touching music, we also get to work with an excellent group of performers with complex characters,” says director Kari Arffman.
The beloved Evan Hansen is touching, relatable and full of hope. The musical is about the difficulty of growing up and the power of self-discovery. It is a story of youth, parenthood and fast-growing children and mothers who always stay by their children’s side. The beautiful music of the beloved Evan Hansen includes one magnificent ballad and catchy pop song.
The role of Evan alternates between talented musical talents Petja Pulkkinen and Julius Suominen. Evan’s mother is played by musical star Nina Tapio and the role of Connor isplayed by Niki Rautén (Connor), who shone in the musical Priscilla. The other roles are played by Riikka Riikonen (Zoe), Sanna Majuri (Cynthia), Antti Timonen (Larry), Lumi Aunio (Alana), Samuli Pajunen (Jared), Reeta Vestman, Tuukka Leppänen, Tiina Peltonen, Raili Raitala, Akseli Ferrand and Lasse Lipponen.
The new musical is directed by Kari Arffman, conducted by Eeva Kontu and choreographed by Antti Lahti. The set design was designed by Antti Mattila, the costumes by Elina Kolehmainen and the camouflage by Jaana Nykänen. William Iles and Toni Haaranen are responsible for the lighting and video design and Jaakko Virmavirta is responsible for the sound design. The musical has been translated into Finnish by Reita Lounatvuori and the songs have been translated into Finnish by Hanna Kaila. The dramaturg of the musical has been Sanna Niemeläinen.
The musical, written by Steven Levenson, has been a success around the world and has won numerous awards. The musical’s composers, Benji Pasek and Justin Paul, have written and composed music for several well-known films.
Performed in Finnish. All performances of Dear Evan Hansen are subtitled in Finnish, Swedish and English.
Watch the Making of videos of the musical:
Making of: Dear Evan Hansen MusicalMaking of part 2: Dear Evan Hansen Musical
Read the interview with Petja Pulkkinen and Julius Suominen on the theatre’s website: Interview with the main actorsDear Evan Hansen premiere on 28.9.2023 on the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre (Eläintarhantie 5).
Tickets: basic ticket 68 €, student ticket 34 € (Mon-Thu) and pensioner ticket 65 € (Mon-Thu). #rakasevanhansen @hktfi
Helsinki City Theatre’s ticket sales and customer service by phone (09) 394022 Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Ticket offices First line 2, Mon-Fri 11-17.30, Eläintarhantie 5, Sat (on performance days) 11-18 and one hour before the performance and Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat 9-21, Sun 10-18, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) www.hkt.fi
In the photo: Petja Pulkkinen and Nina Tapio. Photographer: Ilkka Saastamoinen.
Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:
Kaisa Pelkonen, Communications Manager, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki